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	The 20 February shooting at strikers &ndash; mainly women &ndash; of the KaoWay Sports Ltd. footwear factory in Bavet, Svey Rieng province, Cambodia, appears to have been committed by the governor of Bavet region, Chhouk Bandith. Three women were shot and seriously wounded after a man dressed in police-style khakis got out of a vehicle and began firing at people.

	The factory produces shoes primarily for the German apparel company Puma. According to ITGLWF&nbsp; affiliate, the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers&rsquo; Democratic Union (C.CAWDU), thousands of the 6,000 employed at the factory engaged in strike action on 17-18 February. When strikes resumed on 20 February, Chhouk Bandith allegedly jumped out of a Lexus 470 with a bodyguard and a policeman after exiting the factory and fired shots from a high-power gun equipped with silencer.

	After firing, he fled in a Toyota Camry and truckloads of police moved in to quell disbelieving and angry strikers. Police have questioned Chhouk Bandith, and C.CAWDU believes he was held for three days, but has since been released.

	&nbsp;<img alt="" src="" style="width: 130px;height: 160px" width="390" />&nbsp;

	Choukk Bandith

	The entire incident, occurring about 09h00, was captured by a KaoWay factory security camera. Puma has been conducting its own investigation since the outset, together with an NGO.

	Buot Chinda, 21, was shot through the chest with bullets that narrowly missed her heart and severely punctured her lung. She was near death, but now is in stable but serious condition at a Phnom Penh hospital. The two other women who were shot and injured are Keo Neth, 18, and Nuth Sakhorn, 23.

	A senior ILO official who monitors a programme called Better Factories Cambodia, said in press comments, &ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t look good for Cambodia when this type of violence is concerned.&rdquo;

	Puma&rsquo;s shoe workers, employed by Taiwanese-based KaoWay, were striking over better transport and food allowances, and better pay and conditions overall. Due to the industrial action &ndash; and Puma&rsquo;s rapid response to the random violence &ndash; the strike has ended and all workers&rsquo; demands have been met in full.

	The strike and shootings had a different scenario at a separate Cambodian dispute, this one at Singapore-based Medtecs, a health textiles and apparel maker located in Kampong Siem district, some 125 kilometres from Bavet. While 2,000 strikers pelted the factory with rocks, police at the scene were unarmed and at stand-down because of the KaoWay shootings.

	The Medtecs strike was over the company failing to live up to decisions handed down by a binding Arbitration Council. It has been resolved due to the strike action.

Local Governor Accused in Shooting of Cambodian Footwear Strikers

<img alt="" src="" style="width: 140px;height: 68px" width="390" />

	The third phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry&rsquo;s investigation of the Pike River mine explosions of November 2010 that killed 29 concluded in mid-February in Greymouth, New Zealand, and several experts testified to the inherent weak safety mechanisms in place by Pike River Coal Ltd.

	The latest set of hearings also reveal a company that was 18 months behind on orders to deliver &nbsp;premium metallurgical coal, and in the words of a technical services manager who resigned just days before the first explosion, &ldquo;There was no way the company would delay coal production&rdquo; because of safety concerns.

	The manager, Pieter Van Rooyen, testified that workers had given him notice of inadequate methane drainage pipes, requesting that drilling cease until rectified. Despite passing that on in writing to senior operational managers, nothing was done. Van Rooyen said the decision to begin hydro-mining deep within the shaft without constructing a second exit &ndash; and in areas of high methane gas build-up &ndash; was strictly for &ldquo;cash-flow purposes.&rdquo;

	An electrical engineer who investigated New Zealand&rsquo;s worst mining accident in 100 years said the faulty Pike River electrical systems multiplied chances for disaster since stray currents in many mechanical instruments produced sparks. Pike River&rsquo;s main exhaust fan was located underground, an anomaly to modern mining.

	In late October 2010, the company was warned by a regulatory agency that the stability of an expanded roof in an underground area was worrisome, and again nothing was done. A mine safety expert from Australia testified that the blast was caused by a roof collapse deep inside the mine, causing a massive release of gas. When the underground fan failed, the gas could have ignited from a small spark.

	For 16 months now, the bodies of the 29 have remained entombed inside the South Island mine, despite efforts by families to recover their loved ones. In this inquiry round, photos of two miners who were sighted dead near self-rescue units were shown. The photos indicate that the miners might have survived the initial blast on 19 November 2010. In the following days, five more major explosions occurred.

	Pike River Coal Ltd. killed 29 miners, including 26 New Zealanders, a miner from South Africa, one from the UK, and another miner who was an Australian national. The mother of this Australian miner named Josh Ufer is currently speaking out in Australia on the necessity to maintain full trade union involvement in all mine safety matters.

	As the Single Bargaining Unit led by the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) wages a battle against BHP Billiton and Mitsubishi to retain union-mandated safety deputies and open cut examiners inside Queensland collieries, Joanne Ufer is versing the dangers inherent in unilateral management control of safety matters in union advertisements.

	The final phase of the Pike River Royal Commission of Inquiry will convene next month, with the commission&rsquo;s report and findings to be issued in September.&nbsp; See <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4681-Pike-River-s-Royal-Inquiry-Sees-Troubling-Safety-Issues-Inside-NZ-Mine-Disaster">ICEM report </a>following the commission&rsquo;s second phase hearings.

New Zealand: Pike River Mine Inquiry Hears ‘Disaster Waiting to Happen’

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	In calling attention to jobs creation as equivalent economic growth, working people across Europe today led by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) are in a Day of Action in opposition to the European Council&rsquo;s adoption of a budget discipline treaty.

	The decentralised mobilisations are occurring in scores of cities and worksites with a common theme pointed at EU governments and decision-makers: &ldquo;Enough is enough! There are alternatives to austerity. Employment and social justice are the number one priorities.&rdquo;

	Today&rsquo;s ETUC Day of Action is taking the form of demonstrations, work stoppages and information postings inside workplaces and government institutions stating that the European summit&rsquo;s Treaty on Stability, Co-ordination and Governance is a straightjacket that will plunge the Eurozone into free-fall recession.

	The actions include two demonstrations in Brussels, site of the European Council&rsquo;s 1-2 March summit where the misguided treaty will intrinsically slash wages and social protections, restrict collective bargaining, and provide even more neo-liberal policies, hardly the remedies for economic growth to assure a sustainable future.

	Union leaders, led by ETUC General Secretary Bernadette S&eacute;gol, meet with Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Parliament President Martin Schulz at the European Council Building, while a mass rally takes place outside. Meanwhile, members of all Belgian trade unions will protest today outside the Belgian National Bank.

	A sampling of other actions today includes a mass demonstration organised by the Romanian national trade union centres between 14h and 16h at Victoria Square in Bucharest. In Rome, Italian labour federations CGIL, CISL and UIL will demonstrate at Pantheon Place at 16h, while Hungarian trade unions will hold a press conference and manifestation.

	In Greece, trade unions will take a three-hour work stoppage from 12h to 5h, while even in Georgia trade unions will protest Trade Union Action Day with a rally at Parliament in Tbilisi against their government&rsquo;s one-sided labour code and the economic harm it brings.

	&ldquo;In mobilising on the same day everywhere in Europe for the first time,&rdquo; said S&eacute;gol, &ldquo;European trade unions are reacting with anger and exasperation.&rdquo;

	In the UK, British trade unions used the day to gear up their defence of the National Health Service (NHS), which will happen across the UK massively on 7 March. Both the ETUC and Trades Union Congress (TUC) denounced austerity measures that always &ldquo;fall hardest on the shoulders of the weakest&rdquo; when public services are cut.

Europe’s Unions Protest ‘Straitjacket’ Treaty

<h3 style="text-align: justify">
	Packaging Workers Need Support!</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify">
	Des travailleurs de l&rsquo;emballage ont besoin de votre soutien!</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify">
	&iexcl;Trabajadores/as del empaque requieren tu apoyo!</h3>

	After engaging in lawful industrial actions earlier in February, 140 workers represented by Unite the Union in the UK were locked out by Austrian packaging firm Mayr-Melnhof on 20 February. The reason: so management could move product and equipment to another plant in event of a further stoppage. UK workers at this plant are vigilant over this misdeed and they deserve our prompt support.

	The lockout forced 40 workers to occupy the plant on 20 February. Unionised workers of Unite need our immediate support during this acrimonious dispute in the Bootle food packaging plant in Merseyside. Please cut and paste the message below, or write your own message in your own language to <a href="mailto:Tony.burke@unitetheunion.com; ian.tonks@unitetheunion.com; p-potter1@sky.com; mmpcanpaywontpay@unitetheunion.org">these workplace leaders</a>, and be sure to include the name of your union. Subject head: Support to Unite at Mayr Melnhof.

	Dear Comrades,

	We have heard of your dispute and the lockout imposed on you by Mayr-Melnhof. We understand that management has been completely unreasonable regarding a compromise offered over redundancies. It seems that Mayr-Melnhof wants it their way, or the alternative is a harsh lockout. Please know that our union stands with you and we will be watching this dispute very closely in the coming days. Best of luck and we stand with you in winning this dispute!

	(name)

	(union)

	For further information on this lockout, please see this <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4904-UK-Packaging-Workers-Face-Lockout-at-Mayr-Melnhof-Plant-in-Merseyside">ICEM report</a>&nbsp;from last week.

	Thank you for your Prompt Action on this.

	In Unity,

	Dick Blin

	ICEM Pulp and Paper Officer/Geneva
<hr />

	Des travailleurs de l&rsquo;emballage ont besoin de votre soutien!

	Apr&egrave;s avoir entrepris des actions syndicales tout &agrave; fait l&eacute;gales d&eacute;but f&eacute;vrier, 140 travailleurs repr&eacute;sent&eacute;s par le syndicat britannique Unite ont &eacute;t&eacute; lockout&eacute;s par la firme d&rsquo;emballage autrichienne Mayr-Melnhof ce 20 f&eacute;vrier. Raison avanc&eacute;e&nbsp;: pour permettre &agrave; la direction de d&eacute;placer les produits et les &eacute;quipements vers une autre usine en cas de nouvel arr&ecirc;t de travail. Les travailleurs britanniques de cette usine font preuve de beaucoup de vigilance par rapport &agrave; cette agression et ils m&eacute;ritent notre soutien imm&eacute;diat.

	Ce lockout a oblig&eacute; 40 travailleurs &agrave; occuper le site le 20 f&eacute;vrier. Les syndiqu&eacute;s de Unite ont sans d&eacute;lai besoin de notre soutien dans le cadre de cet impitoyable conflit qui se d&eacute;roule &agrave; l&rsquo;usine d&rsquo;emballage de Bootle dans le Merseyside. Veuillez faire un copier-coller du message propos&eacute; ci-dessous, ou en r&eacute;diger un autre de votre cru dans votre langue et le faire parvenir &agrave; <a href="mailto:Tony.burke@unitetheunion.com; ian.tonks@unitetheunion.com; p-potter1@sky.com">ceux qui m&egrave;nent l&rsquo;action&nbsp;</a>, en prenant soin d&rsquo;y inclure le nom de votre organisation. Sujet&nbsp;: Soutien &agrave; Unite chez Mayr Melnhof.

	Chers Coll&egrave;gues,

	Nous avons eu connaissance du conflit chez Mayr-Melnhof et du lockout qui vous est impos&eacute;. Nous savons que la direction s&rsquo;est montr&eacute;e totalement d&eacute;raisonnable par rapport &agrave; un compromis qui lui &eacute;tait propos&eacute; &agrave; propos de licenciements. Il semble bien que Mayr-Melnhof ne veuille rien entendre et que sa seule alternative soit un lockout brutal. Sachez que notre organisation est derri&egrave;re vous et suivra ce conflit&nbsp; de tr&egrave;s pr&egrave;s dans ces prochains jours. Nous vous souhaitons bonne chance et sommes &agrave; vos c&ocirc;t&eacute;s pour emporter cette victoire&nbsp;!

	(nom)

	(organisation)

	Pour davantage d&rsquo;informations sur ce conflit, nous vous invitons &agrave; consulter <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4904-UK-Packaging-Workers-Face-Lockout-at-Mayr-Melnhof-Plant-in-Merseyside">l&rsquo;article que l&rsquo;ICEM</a> a publi&eacute; la semaine derni&egrave;re en anglais.

	Merci de bien vouloir agir rapidement.

	Bien fraternellement.

	Dick Blin

	Responsable P&acirc;te et Papier de l&rsquo;ICEM/Gen&egrave;ve
<hr />

	&iexcl;Trabajadores/as del empaque requieren tu apoyo!

	Despu&eacute;s de participar en paros legales de protesta durante el mes de febrero, 140 trabajadores/as miembros de Unite the Union en el Reino Unido resultaron v&iacute;ctimas de un cierre patronal impuesto el d&iacute;a 20 de ese mismo mes por la empresa austriaca de empaque Mayr-Melnhof. La administraci&oacute;n actu&oacute; as&iacute; para poder trasladar productos y equipos a otra planta en caso de producirse otra huelga. Los trabajadores de esta planta brit&aacute;nica est&aacute;n en estado de alerta a consecuencia de esta siniestra maniobra, y merecen nuestro apoyo urgente.

	El cierre patronal oblig&oacute; a 40 trabajadores/as a ocupar las instalaciones de la planta el 20 de febrero. Los trabajadores/as sindicalizados de Unite necesitan de nuestra ayuda inmediata durante este agrio conflicto en la planta de envasado de Bootle, en la regi&oacute;n de Merseyside. Rogamos copiar el mensaje que aparece a continuaci&oacute;n, o bien escribir su propio mensaje en su idioma, dirigido a <a href="mailto:Tony.burke@unitetheunion.com; ian.tonks@unitetheunion.com; p-potter1@sky.com">estos dirigentes sindicales</a>, sin olvidar de mencionar el nombre de su propio sindicato. Encabezamiento: Apoyar a Unite en Mayr-Melnhof.

	Estimados compa&ntilde;eros/as:

	Hemos sabido de su conflicto y el cierre patronal que les impusiera Mayr-Melnhof. Entendemos que la administraci&oacute;n ha sido completamente irracional con respecto a una soluci&oacute;n intermedia que afectar&iacute;a a los trabajadores despedidos. Parece que Mayr-Melnhof quisiera imponer a la fuerza su intransigencia: la alternativa es un inflexible cierre patronal. Por favor sepan que nuestro sindicato est&aacute; con ustedes y que en los pr&oacute;ximos d&iacute;as vamos a estar vigilantes ante este conflicto. &iexcl;Cuenten con nuestro apoyo para ganar este conflicto!

	(nombre)

	(sindicato)

	Para mayor informaci&oacute;n sobre este cierre patronal, ver el <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4904-UK-Packaging-Workers-Face-Lockout-at-Mayr-Melnhof-Plant-in-Merseyside">informe de la ICEM</a> que se public&oacute; la semana pasada, en ingl&eacute;s.

	Agradecemos su pronta atenci&oacute;n a este asunto.

	Unidos en solidaridad,

	Dick Blin

	Encargado del Sector Pulpa y Papel de la ICEM/Ginebra

Packaging Workers Need Support!

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
Security forces in Iraq are still holding 27-year-old Jihad Jalil, a leader of the Mechanics&rsquo; and Printers&rsquo; Union of ICEM-affiliated General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW). Jalil and three other young activists have been held at the Al Muthana airport detention centre since they were picked up on their way to a protest at Tahrir Square in Baghdad on 27 March. (See <a href="/en/77-All-ICEM-News-Releases/4449-ICEM-Demands-Release-of-Iraq-Mechanics-Union-Leader ">ICEM news release</a> of 30 May.) 
 
Iraqi authorities had promised release the four within 24 hours at the weekend, but their expected freedom and trial on 5 June never materialized. In a statement released yesterday, the GFIW said their families and attorneys had not been allowed to meet with them at Al Muthana. 
 
The four, including Jalil and students Ahmed Alaa al Baghdaddi, Moyaid Fasil al Taib, and Ali Abdul-Khaliq, were initially charged with inciting violence. But those charges were retracted and new charges placed on them accusing them of carrying false identities. 

<img alt="" src="" width="206" height="160" />
Tahrir Square Rally this weekend
Tahrir Square near the Green Zone in central Baghdad has become a staging ground for regular protests for legitimate workers&rsquo; rights, jobs, basic public services, and against government corruption. The ICEM believes that the government of Nouri Al-Maliki has escalated repression of trade unions, thus cutting hope that a stable, safe, and secure society can take hold through democratic institutions such as trade unions. 
 
The ICEM also points to the forced relocation of trade union leaders from there regular jobs with the sole purpose of removing them from pockets of worker activism at enterprises. In late May, this happened to Jamal Abdul-Jabbar Akram, the President of the GFIW&rsquo;s Oil and Gas Workers&rsquo; Union of Kirkuk. His crime is that he led a walkout in support of contract workers at the state-run Northern Oil Company (NOC). 
<img alt="" src="" width="320" height="38" />
He had been verbally warned by Iraq&rsquo;s Oil Ministry to stop his trade union activities. On 29 May, he was given a ministerial order that he was to be immediately transferred from his job at a Kirkuk oil facility to a remote location. 
 
In a 30 May letter to the Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Maliki, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda protested the suppression of democratic freedoms in both the arrests of the four near Tahrir Square and the transfer of Abdul-Jabbar Akram. He wrote, &ldquo;By restricting trade unions and the right of workers to freely engage in democratic assemblies that will benefit their work lives, and Iraqi society as a whole, your government appears to be stepping back in time.&rdquo; (View the full <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/Iraq%20Letter.pdf ">ICEM letter</a> to Iraq&rsquo;s government here.)

Iraq Fails to Release GFIW Mechanics’ Union Leader, Others as Promised

<img src="" width="100" height="39" alt="" />
Australian coal miners of three unions, led by the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), gave leadership a strong mandate for industrial action against the BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) on 2 June. Some 4,000 miners and coal-processing workers in central Queensland voted by 92% to authorize union leaders to embark on varying industrial actions. 
 
Better than 90% of the 4,000 miners and export facility workers voted in the on-site, two-week ballot. The three unions &ndash; CFMEU, the Australian Manufacturing Workers&rsquo; Union (AMWU) and the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) &ndash; are jointly bargaining with the world&rsquo;s number one exporter of metallurgical coal and have been stymied since January by BMA&rsquo;s radical proposals for work rule changes. 
 
The strike ballot was preceded by BMA&rsquo;s breach of Australia&rsquo;s privacy act when it sent text messages to wives and partners of workers telling them that voting was not compulsory. The company used emergency contact numbers of the workers. In order for the ballot to be legal, better than 50% of workers needed to vote, and the strike ballot had to be passed by a simple majority to be valid. 
<img src="" width="99" height="74" alt="" />
BMA is seeking a seven-day roster, instead of a five-day one, flexibility on operators&rsquo; jobs, and retention of bygone WorkChoices-era employment practices. The pay package is also expected to be an issue. 
 
&ldquo;There is a massive concern amongst the workforce about BMA&rsquo;s desire for increasingly family-unfriendly working conditions,&rdquo; said CFMEU Queensland Region Vice President Steve Pierce, referring to the seven-day roster. Pierce expressed concern that many experienced miners would quit their jobs if forced onto non-family-friendly shift schedules. 
 
The unions are seeking job security and enhanced training opportunities. The two sides will resume negotiations on 10 June. 
 
BMA is a 10-year-old joint venture that mines some 58 million tones yearly of coking coal from the Bowen Basin. It consists of seven mines &ndash; Blackwater, Broadmeadow, Goonyella Riverside, Peak Downs, Saraji, Norwich Park, and Gregory Crinum &ndash; as well as the Hay Point coal export terminal near Mackay on Australia&rsquo;s east coast. The CFMEU represents about 80% of the unionized employees.

Aussie Coal Miners Vote 92% to Strike BHP Billiton/Mitsubishi Alliance

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
Ten US trade unions, working together as the Coordinating Bargaining Council (CBC) of General Electric (GE) Unions, are negotiating with the industrial and financial giant toward a 19 June expiration of a four-year agreement covering 15,000 workers. 
 
The ICEM-affiliated United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) and the International Union of Electronic Workers/Communications Workers (IUE/CWA) are the largest US unions at GE, representing 11,000 industrial workers. Collective agreements for the UE and IUE are national in scope. 
 
UE Local 506 in Erie, Pennsylvania, hosted a CBC rally on Saturday, 4 June, in which a larger-than-expected gathering of 4,000 trade unionists took part. The bargaining manifestation was held at Gannon University in the western Pennsylvania city. 

<img alt="" src="" width="285" height="160" />
UE-led Bargaining Rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on 4 June
Negotiations began in New York City on 24 May and after five rounds of bargaining it is evident that pension issues and health care costs have become the main agenda items. GE is trying to separate all new hires from a defined pension plan and shift them to an inferior plan. It also wants higher cost-sharing on medical insurance from workers and introduction of inferior option plans. The unions and GE resume bargaining tomorrow, 7 June. 
 
In opening bargaining statements delivered on 24 May, UE President John Hovis spoke of GE&rsquo;s role in the financial crisis in which a bursting real estate bubble and accompanying credit crunch had dramatically cut GE&rsquo;s stock price, its dividend payouts, and loss of GE&rsquo;s AAA credit rating. Hovis reminded GE executives they had &ldquo;lectured more than once in past negotiations&rdquo; how GE Capital represented a more important and profitable component of the company than its industrial and manufacturing businesses. 
 
&ldquo;The irony did not escape UE members when in the wake of the crisis, GE scrambled to persuade investors that it should once again be viewed as an industrial company,&rdquo; Hovis said. 
<img alt="" src="" width="153" height="161" />
Despite the crisis, GE is faring well in the marketplace and American unions will resist any rollbacks to pension schemes and health care costs. And they will seek a significant yearly wage increase and cost-of-living improvements. GE paid out three dividends to shareholders in the past year and recorded US$14.2 billion in gross profits in 2010. GE&rsquo;s cash surplus was US$82 billion in first quarter 2011, and UE claims GE workers produced an average of US$42,000 each in net profit for the company last year. 
 
View a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/ueunion?blend=24&amp;ob=5">UE YouTube video</a> of 2011 bargaining here.&nbsp; 
 
The CBC of GE Unions in the US consists of the UE, the IUE/CWA, International Association of Machinists (IAM), NABET/CWA, the United Steelworkers (USW), the United Auto Workers (UAW), the International Federation of Professional and Technical Employees (IFPTE), the Electrical Workers (IBEW), Sheet Metal Workers Union (SMWIU), the United Association of Plumbing and Pipefitting Union (UA), the Firemen &amp; Oilers division of the Service Employees Union (SEIU). 
 
The national set of talks for UE is occurring on behalf of GE Transportation workers in Erie and for GE Energy staff at Fort Edward, New York, while the IUE/CWA has a common pact for GE Aviation in Lynn, Massachusetts, and GE Appliances in Louisville, Kentucky. Simultaneous bargaining for single-site agreements with the same 19 June expiry date also continues for the UAW and IAM at GE Aviation in Cincinnati, Ohio, as well as at some 30 other GE worksites, including plastics and chemical operations. 
 
Jim Clark, the head of IUE/CWA, is chairman of the CBC.

American Unions in Tough Talks for 15,000 General Electric Staff

<img alt="" src="" width="160" height="49" />
Since last year, ICEM affiliates in Colombia have been participating in a project to create strong national unions for IMF affiliates in Colombia, Fetramecol and Utrammicol. The project&rsquo;s objective is to strengthen trade union unity. 
 
The ICEM and the IMF have a common interest in strengthening trade unions in Colombia and both federations have been concerned about the situation of Colombian trade unions. Union membership is among the lowest in Latin America due to anti-trade union practices and to the obstacles to trade union activity created by the government. The creation of &ldquo;employment cooperatives&rdquo; (cooperativas de trabajo asociado - CTAs) has led to a deterioration in the quality of jobs, nullified inalienable workers&rsquo; rights and made jobs precarious. 
 
In 2009, a project was started to create national unions for the IMF affiliates in Colombia, Fetramecol and Utrammicol. This project was supported by IF Metall and LO-TCO of Sweden and its main objective was to strengthen metalworkers&rsquo; unions, improve co-operation between affiliates at the national level and strengthen trade union unity. 
 
Three regional workshops and one national workshop take place four times a year and the project is due to conclude in 2012. To date, these workshops have discussed such issues as collective agreements and collective bargaining and developed proposals to deal with the problems that face trade unionism at the national level. This year&rsquo;s central theme is trade union structures. 
 
When the project began, the main objective was to create the conditions to unite IMF affiliates in Colombia into one national organisation. However, the project, which also covers Chile, is now focusing on the creation of broader industrial unions and political alliances in the regions, in the context of the merger of three major international trade union federations (IMF, ICEM and ITGLWF). 
 
In 2010, Carlos Bustos, ICEM coordinator in Colombia, invited IMF affiliates to participate in the federation&rsquo;s current activities and in various national meetings. Meanwhile, Colombian ICEM affiliates began to attend the project seminars, explains Nohora Tovar, of Fetramecol and joint national coordinator of the project. 
 
Bustos adds that this year it was decided to increase participation of ICEM colleagues in the three regions where the project is operational (Bogot&aacute;, Boyac&aacute; and Medell&iacute;n). Luis Vel&aacute;zquez of Utrammicol, who is the other joint national coordinator, says that participation has been very good and IMF affiliates have welcomed the initiative as well. 
 
Both explain that at the end of 2010 the National Council formed by Fetramecol and Utrammicol was renamed the Unity Council and extended to include the ICEM affiliates. This council established committees to draft statutes and, along with ICEM colleagues, established an action plan with a dual focus: first, initiatives to promote unity and second, development of education and training. 
 
Marino Vani, from the IMF&rsquo;s Regional Office, explains that the project has forced each organisation to assess the situation and promote joint actions to strengthen their unions and formulate common objectives. The project proposal to discuss particular issues with a view to developing a trade union agenda has provoked discussion and resulted in new trade union practices, although the unions have yet to develop a broader consensual strategy with a unified agenda and action. It is hoped that the project will encourage union members to learn and to understand the need to create united and representative national trade unions that include precarious and outsourced workers and in this way strengthen the position of all members.

Creating strong unions in Colombia

<img alt="" src="" width="180" height="55" />
On the 18 April, 16 union leaders from the ICEM affiliate United Workers Union of Liberia (UWUL) and the IMF affiliate Metal, Mechanical Electrical Communications and Allied Workers Union (MMECAWU) met in Monrovia to discuss the possibility of a merger and to develop a program of cooperation. 
It is now 15 years since civil war left Liberia in ruins. Not only is there much work to be done in this post war era to re-establish infrastructure, the country is also engaged in nation building including revitalizing the educational, health, security, economic and governance sectors. For the last seven years Liberians have been consolidating peace, receiving support for development from the international community and making strides in securing foreign investment attracted by the countries abundant natural resources. 
Whilst some multinationals like Firestone have been in Liberia for many decades, ArcelorMittal and BHP Billiton are the new kids on the block, with substantial recent investments in iron ore extraction. Historically, foreign companies that have been granted concessions have been expected to take care of service delivery to people in the area, in the form of housing, education and health services. This system still exists today and further disempowers workers to challenge employers as it is not only their jobs at stake but also their homes. 
Organised labour has recognized that unity is needed for bargaining power to stand up to these multinational companies and meet the challenges to build worker rights, create decent work and improve the lives of workers. Liberia's two labour federations have united to form a strong single federation in the country. The forestry union and mining union merged to create UWUL. Now, building on these successful mergers and encouraged by their benefit for worker power, UWUL and MMECAWU have agreed to work towards a merger. 
 
At the April meeting, the unions formulated and signed a memorandum of understanding committing to form a joint committee to develop a programme of collaboration that would culminate in a merger within a 24 month period. Central to the joint work would be organizing workers of multinational companies. 
The unions agreed to take the memorandum of understanding to their constituencies to gain the support of workers for the merger. The IMF has offered support and guidance to the unions' efforts in the interest of building strong worker representation in Liberia.

Liberian Unions Work Towards a Merger

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The shocking Contract and Agency Labour (CAL) documentary on conditions facing exploited contract workers in the cement industry in India is now available in French. 
 
Watch the <a href="http://labouredu.blogspot.com/2011/04/salaries-temporaires.html">film</a> on the website of the Thai Labour Education Centre here.&nbsp; 
 
The international campaign, launched by the Building and Wood Workers&rsquo; Federation (BWI) and ICEM, for regularisation of CAL workers at Holcim&rsquo;s subsidiaries in India continues. Hundreds of trade union organisations around the world responded to the call for messages to be sent to Holcim&rsquo;s CEO, ahead of the multinational company&rsquo;s annual general meeting on 5 May. 
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On 1 May, an industrial strike was conducted in the industrial area of Bhilai in solidarity with the struggle of contract workers of ACC-Holcim, The following demands were put forward: 
 
&bull; No to Contract Labour 
&bull; The Right to Organize 
&bull; A Living Wage 
&bull; Safety at work 
&bull; 8- hour work day 
 
On 4 May, a cross-sectoral group of local and regional trade unions held a demonstration outside the corporate headquarters of Holcim India, in Churchgate, Mumbai. 
 
See the prior <a href="/en/21-Materials-glass-ceramics-cement/4404-Global-Campaign-Launched-for-Indian-Cement-Contract-Workers">ICEM report</a> here, and follow this link to write to Holcim&rsquo;s CEO Markus Akermann.&nbsp;

ICEM CAL Film on India’s Cement Workers, Now in French

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